DRAWN TO THE CAMINO NEWSLETTER: JANUARY 2025

WHAT'S NEW FOR 2025?

For 2025, Camino de Santiago pilgrims must collect two stamps per day within Spanish territory to qualify for the Compostela, and any 100 kilometers on an official route, with the final stage ending in Santiago, are now accepted, rather than just the last 100 kilometers.

Many pilgrim hostels prioritise beds for official pilgrims, so they require a credential as proof. Plus, no credential equals no certificate of completion, and both the passport and the certificate are fantastic souvenirs to keep after your trip.

Why Everyone Is Walking the Camino de Santiago—and Why You Should Too
The Call of the Walking Pilgrimage in a Restless World

More and more people are stepping away from the noise, turning off the screens, and lacing up their boots. The destination? The Camino de Santiago—a walking pilgrimage that’s capturing hearts across the globe.

It’s not just a trend. It’s a movement. A quiet revolution in how we travel, reflect, and reconnect.

Whether inspired by spiritual travel, the need for deep personal renewal, or the timeless urge to begin again, the Camino is calling. And people are listening.

A Path Back to Meaning

We’re in a moment where many of us are rethinking how we live. The fast-paced routines, the constant scroll, the endless to-do lists—they no longer feel like enough. More than ever, we’re craving experiences that feel real, immersive, and soul-stirring.

Walking pilgrimages like the Camino de Santiago offer that—and more. They strip life down to its essentials: body, breath, horizon. They reconnect us to the rhythm of our footsteps and the stillness between thoughts.

To walk is to remember who we are beneath the labels and roles. It’s a return to presence.

The Freedom of Simply Walking

In A Philosophy of Walking, Frédéric Gros writes:

“Walking is exploring the mystery of presence. Presence to the world, to others, and to yourself.”

He goes on to describe how walking liberates us—from identity, from time, from the need to be someone. In his words, “You are only a body walking. You are nobody. You have no past. No future. Only now.”

And that’s the quiet magic of the Camino. It offers space to breathe, to release, to just be. The trail doesn’t ask you who you are or what you do. It simply invites you to walk.

The Camino and the Power of Pilgrimage

The Camino de Santiago is more than a long walk. It’s a transformational journey—one that blends solitude and community, ancient ritual and personal discovery.

Anthropologist Victor Turner called pilgrimage a liminoid space—a threshold where identity blurs and transformation begins. Walkers come with their own reasons—grief, curiosity, burnout, hope—but along the way, they become part of a communitas. A temporary fellowship of wanderers, sharing stories, steps, and silence.

And somewhere in that space—between the cobbled towns, the quiet woods, and the wide Galician sky—many pilgrims rediscover a version of themselves they’d almost forgotten.

Why You Should Walk

If you've felt the tug to slow down...
If you've wondered what it might feel like to unplug from the chaos...
If you're seeking a journey that isn't just seen, but felt...

Consider the Camino.

Not just as a destination, but as a practice. A ritual. A way of returning home to yourself.

Because sometimes, the best way forward—is a long walk back